There was an elderly woman standing in the front entrance of our apartment building when I came home from work. We were probably neighbors but she was still a stranger to me so I prepared to nod a stiff “konnichiwa” her way as I passed. As I neared, I noticed that, to my surprise, she […]
The Acquisition of Language
Campfire Stories from Japan, Part II
Before I resume my Campfire Tales from Japan, I would like to share with you my first attempt at creating a soumen experience at home: Another picture of food: I must really be turning Japanese. From the left corner: grilled eggplant and pumpkin, meat croquettes, Sean’s bowl of tsuyu dipping sauce, chilled soumen, tako su […]
Campfire Stories from Japan
Back, now, from the summer camp I was trying to prepare for last week when the humidity locked me inside. It’s been blissfully rainy and cool for the past couple of days, which means the door now opens easily and I take advantage of it to the fullest, sometimes swinging it open and shut simply […]
Incidentally
Today, a student – who had been making whistling noises through his pencil cap, belching answers, and ignoring instructions he full well understood – reacted to my closing his workbook for him by calling me a bully. That’s all right; in my head, I called him something much worse. He may one day regret that […]
From Heart
To you from me – the babelfish translation of the Japanese “Information” e-mail I just received from the hair salon I patronize: Always, it came and the store thank you heat more and more became harsh, but how you probably will pass? Truly the selfishness, August you make 4 and 5 days suspending business. Furthermore, […]
Rewrites
After the day’s grammar lesson, our adult students have the opportunity to tell us a brief story, so that we can check their grammar. Part of the reason our students come to our school is for hardcore corrections, the reasoning being that without the correction, they could just crack open an English textbook with their […]
Sleeping in Coffins
This is the comic strip I think of each Friday when I encounter Mia, one of my 4 year old students, in the bathroom right before class. In addition to sharing a 3:30 appointment, Mia and I also apparently share a bathroom schedule, which I think says more about my recent green tea overload than […]
Please Excuse My Burdock
So the new decision to save cash by cooking with local goodies is actually pretty darn exciting and I find myself obsessed. Blog stalking has led me to an absolutely wonderful site called Yasuko-san’s Home Cooking, a Japanese girl’s homage to her mother’s delicious cuisine. The recipes seem so unbelievably simple, all involving ingredients readily […]
Freedom of Speech
The children aren’t supposed to speak Japanese in class, but they do. I’m supposed to discourage them but, out of laziness and selfishness, I don’t. Lazy, because when they speak Japanese to each other I can tell if they understand the day’s lesson and selfish because I’ve learned more than a few good turns of […]
Intense Jealousy
… and as if I needed even more motivation to get cracking on my Japanese study, I have discovered Emily. Emily – a nice, super-intense American gal – is something of a YouTube Celebrity, made famous by her “Pretty Intense Japanese Lesson” clips. Sean and I have been staring at her videos for the past […]